Numbers Really Don't Lie

You've heard numbers don’t lie, and the numbers are telling Roby Ogan that purchasing a ChoiceWash XT® was the right decision for his business.

“We installed the ChoiceWash XT in early August, and in September our wash volumes were up 60% over the previous September and 25% higher than any previous month in our history,” Roby notes. “And that was with gas sales down 12.5%. The business at the wash really helped offset some of that lost fuel business.”

Roby owns a Circle K convenience store providing Shell gasoline in Carlsbad, California. He got into the convenience store and carwash business in 2008. “We opened just two months ahead of the Great Recession,” he recalls. “The original plan was for me to be the financing partner, but I wound up having to take over the store. Fortunately, there has been a lot of new development in the area and business has grown to the level we anticipated when we made the investment.”

When the time came to replace the original carwash equipment, Roby considered several factors before choosing to work with Mark VII. “Durability was a key factor in my deliberations,” Roby says. “We were having horrible maintenance issues with our Ryko, so I was looking at the quality of service I would receive. My chemical supplier, who sees carwashes all over and is completely independent, really pointed me to Mark VII. He talked about the quality, the stainless steel, and said I would really like the wash. He was right.

“Because we got the ChoiceWash XT, we can provide the option of touch-free or soft touch, which satisfies everyone,” he continues. “We offer three wash levels, and you can choose soft touch or touch-free with all of them. Previously, our top package was a combination of both. Now with the choice, we’re selling a lot more of those top packages. I just watched a beautiful Porsche go through and use the top package, and I suspect that would not have happened with our old wash.”

With his numbers and neighborhood trending in the right direction, Roby is excited about the future for his store and carwash. There’s only one drawback with his ChoiceWash XT decision.

“The wash quality is excellent, the volumes are great and the revenue is even better,” he concludes. “The only problem for me is, every time I come by there are three or four cars in line. I haven’t been able to use the wash myself yet.”